NBA Rumors: Mavs Owner High On Cauley-Stein Acquisition, Buys Powell Time

KEY POINTS

Cuban is high on Willie Cauley-Stein
Mavericks hope Cauley-Stein can contiue where Powell left off
Mavericks will open a roster spot if Cauley-Stein exercises his player option

The Dallas Mavericks were able to find someone to fill in the void left by Dwight Powell in the person of Willie Cauley-Stein from the Golden State Warriors. At first glance, it seems that the Warriors were the only ones who benefitted from the deal. But that is not how Mavs owner Mark Cuban sees it.

Cuban brands the deal as "a steal-and-a-half," believing they were lucky to get the 26-year-old at this stage of the 2019-20 NBA season, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News reported. However, the Mavericks are likely aware that this will be a short-term fix. Cauley-Stein could exercise his player option this summer. On the bright side, this means that Dallas could have an open roster spot next season.

The Mavs are currently at the sixth spot of the NBA Western Conference with a 29-18 win-loss record. But with Powell done for the season, Dallas needed to find someone to fill in that spot. Cauley-Stein could be it, depending on how he responds to the system of head coach Rick Carlisle.

A look at Basketball-Reference.com shows that Cauley-Stein played in 42 games for the Warriors this season. He averaged 7.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.2 blocks. In his first game with the Mavs, the 7-footer debuted with 4 points, three rebounds and 2 steals in 12 minutes of action. His playing time could increase depending on how he blends in with the team.

As mentioned in a previous post, the Cauley-Stein trade to the Mavs also gave the Warriors some reprieve. Not only did they get save $2.57 million in the hard cap, but they also cut off $5.66 million from the luxury cap. It also allowed them to open two roster spots, one likely to be used to give Marquese Chriss a guaranteed deal.

Looking at how the trade went, it appears that both teams won in the deal. Of the two, the Mavericks needed a big boost to give its NBA playoff hopes a boost. Cauley-Stein could be a difference-maker for the Mavs. He is someone tasked to hold up the fort with Powell recuperating from a torn Achilles injury. On whether the 6th overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft will still around remains to be seen.